Trees & Forest

I've been known to hug a tree or two. Such majestic beauty with timeless intelligence, and infinite diversity. Possibly my favorite of God's art to capture. Album includes photos of trees, and all things Forest, as well as digital art created from tree photos.

All images available for purchase as art prints, and available for licensing by inquiring with me - burketripleb@yahoo.com

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The coastal mist, which was invisible to the eye, allowed for these fascinating sun rays. I pulled over to the side of the road simply to stop and bask in a coastal view atop the cliffs on the Oregon Coast. When I looked over and up, I was struck with awe and excitement from this unexpected, gloriously mystical scene.

On a typical Winter morning, I looked outside the front window, and became filled with wonder and fascination from these rain drops dangling on the ends of the bare winter branches. Each branch contained a drop of water, providing an incredible scene of glistening sunlight and reflections. On a whim, I grabbed the camera, and immersed myself for quite a while in a world of simple, subtle beauty, hoping to capture and convey the feeling of wonder it provided to me.

It's been said, and has also been my experience, that the world around you is a reflection of what's inside of you. See beauty, love, and goodness inside of you, and you will see it in the world around you. It also goes the other way. As you open to see and experience more beauty outside of yourself, in the world, you'll more easily find it inside. It's all connected, and all a reflection.
Here is a beautiful reflection found in the pavement, on a wet Winter day, walking along in an apartment complex. I imagine many would not see beauty in this scene, and perhaps wouldn't even be looking for beauty on a day such as this. For me, being present, in the moment, and knowing that there is beauty to be found everywhere, it was rather easy to see it reflecting back to me from the gravel ground of this parking lot.

Much of my work comes from stopping the car when passing a scene that fascinates me, often standing on a thin shoulder of road, with cars buzzing by, looking at me like I'm crazy. It's these spontaneous, inspired moments of awe and fascination, with every day scenes (often overlooked) that I feel makes the best art, as it's purely from the heart. This is one of those times, and one of the more memorable of them. A beautiful scene in a tiny NH town, on the edge of the White Mountains.

This powerfully cascading river in the Smokey Mountains National Park gave me quite a rush. A rush of excitement, of energy, and connectedness to Mother Nature. Found on a random trail off the side of the road, I was in my own private Heaven in this spot. Wanting to capture the essence of the excitement and the rush this scene provided me, I turned the camera to provide this perspective, with the cascading water as the focal point.

A full spectrum of forest green found on the Laurel Falls trail in the Smokey Mountains National Park. Walking back from the falls, this scene captured my attention and awe, on an otherwise ordinary forest trail. Looking up, as I often do, I observed the afternoon sun illuminating the forest, providing this lovely palette of greens.
I also noticed, as the crowd rushed by, people were either occupied in conversation, or fixated on their destination, and I seemed to be the only one in the moment, taking note of this magnificent and subtle beauty being provided to us all by mother nature, inviting us to slow down and admire it.

I was particularly excited to visit Lover's Key Beach. Among the other highlights it offers, this was my first opportunity to witness, and photograph the phenomena of driftwood on the beach. This beauty, with it's distinct contour, lines and wood pecked holes, did not disappoint, and filled me with delight!

A perfectly picturesque dusting of snow along the Cherohala Skyway, winding across, and along the Tennesee-North Carolina border in the Smokey Mountains. Decided to explore this national scenic byway on a December day. The threat of snow was minimal, so I was a bit surprised, and even a bit anxious when it began to fall at the higher elevations. Thankfully, it stopped, and the anxiety turned to pure excitement, as it turned out to be just enough to provide this fantastic, lovely scenery along the drive, including this picture perfect vista.

"It all begins with "reverence for life".. the revealing of the mysteries, the occurrences of magic.. when we learn to appreciate the simple magnificence of life, the extraordinary appears more often..
Mere reverence, wonder, and awe for our experience expands the mind, and connects us to a universal source..
What we label this reverence is of no importance.. call it Jesus, call it source, call it divinity, doesn't matter.. I use many phrases, but tend to settle on "intelligence" - something beyond our limited scope that puts it all together & holds it in place.
Matter of fact it's the labeling and attaching to ideas of what it is that closes the mind & puts us in divisive & defensive modes.. stops us from experiencing true wonder..
Thankfully we're provided opportunities moment to moment to practice being in awe.. the beauty & diversity of our planet.. the diversity & beauty of the strangers we meet.. so much beauty to observe.. so many reminders, so many reflections" ~ BBB
Tree and bushes reflection in a downtown, city park, man made pond in Dayton, Ohio

Even in the dead of Winter, there is beauty to be found all around, as long as we are in the moment and available to perceive it. This scene was found at the Englewood Metro Park in Dayton, Ohio. A small, temporary pond had formed from the overflow of the lake. I spotted it from a distance, and walked to the edge, silently observing the beauty revealed and reflected back to me. I decided on some creativity in the edit, turning it into a silhouetted scene with a sepia/bronze filter.

"In simplicity, there is truth, and there is beauty. In simplicity, we find wisdom. In silence, we find wisdom. In experience, we find wisdom. In nature, we find wisdom. Timeless, and infinite."
This is a top down view of a tree stump. It looks as though you can see infinity within this single tree stump. I was fascinated by the detail, and the variety of contrasts, This photo is barely altered, simply added a bit of intensity to the colors to highlight the color variance.

Camping high up in the mountains near Idyllwild, CA in the San Jacinto Mountains. I scoped the spot out earlier in the day, and anxiously returned & hung out to soak in and capture the sunset. Surrounded by towering pine trees, which are a signature feature of this area. Idyllwild is a magical place, and the sunsets are truly sublime, looking westward over 100 miles towards the California coast.
Being in the moment, the idea spontaneously sparked to find a spot where I could frame the sun inside of the branches in exactly this way. Running around with camera in hand, I was filled with happiness while capturing this, as I felt it would serve justice to the majesty of this sublime setting, and sunset.

This magical, colorful sunrise was taken at Lake Riverside Estates in Aguanga, CA from the driveway of my residence. Elevation approximately 4k feet. I was provided unforgettable sunrises at this location on a daily basis, as the sun would come up over the East mountains, providing these gorgeous colors,reflected beautifully by the lake. What a magical way to start the day.

Brice Creek Falls in the Umpqua National Forest, in the cascades region of Southern Oregon. Stepping into this forest felt like being transported to another land. A land of fantasy and fairy tales. The vividness of this green moss is surreal, and other worldly. It was quite a thrilling experience to stand near this chasm of falling water, surrounded by the lush green, and beautifully carved canyon.

Having been to just about every corner of our great country, I can say that there is nothing quite like the vibrant, magical aliveness of the Mossy pacific nw forests. This scene, found in the Elkhorn Valley Nat'l Recreation area, appears much like a maze to me, that I'm eager and happy to get lost in! I've seen plenty of mossy trees in Oregon, but this scene really stood out, calling me to spend some time with it, creating a piece of abstract art.

A stunning array of Fall colors provided by these fallen leaves in Yellow Springs, OH. We were on a camping outing, and trying to stay dry. While not too thrilled about being rained on while camping, the freshly fallen rain rewarded me with some extra luster in this capture.

In the forests of Oregon, I was delighted to find this beautiful tree, which provided the entire spectrum of Autumn colors on one branch. I used one hand to move the branch, so that the colors could be isolated against the blue sky back drop, and the other hand to make the capture.